Big 12 unveils availability report for Utah vs. UCF basketball game

A look at who's in and who's out for Saturday's matchup between the Utes and Knights

Utah Runnin' Utes head coach Alex Jensen leads his team into a Big 12 matchup against the UCF Knights. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Based on the initial availability report for Saturday's matchup between Utah and UCF, the Knights might not be at full strength for when they take on the Runnin' Utes at the Huntsman Center.

Riley Kugel, UCF's leading scorer, has been listed as questionable for Saturday's contest. The 6-foot-5 senior who averages 14 points per game is dealing with an apparent lower body injury he appeared to sustain toward the end of Tuesday's contest against TCU.

Kugel plays a key role in UCF's balanced offensive attack. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he's the Knights' top 3-point shooter on volume (38.1% on 4.7 attempts per game) and helps stir the drink with 2.7 assists per game.

Kugel has also appeared in all 25 games for Johnny Dawkins' squad and is a big reason why UCF (18-7, 7-6 Big 12) is in a position to compete for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Knights are currently projected to fall on the 10-seed line in Joe Lunardi's bracketology forecast. A loss to Utah (10-16, 2-11 Big 12), though, would be a massive hit toward UCF's postseason aspirations.

There's a chance UCF won't have its other 3-point marksman, Carmelo Pacheco (40% on 3.7 attempts), for Saturday's game as well. The 6-foot-5 guard has been categorized as "questionable" alongside Kugel.

It looks like the Knights will be able to count on Jamichael Stillwell for Saturday's matchup, given the 6-foot-8 senior has been labeled as "probable" in Friday's availability report. Stilwell is the team's leading rebounder (7.9 per game) and fourth in scoring (12.1 points per game).

As for the Utes, they won't have Jacob Patrick, Lucas Langarita and Babacar Faye in uniform once again, as those three players were once again ruled out by Utah in the team's availability report.

It'll be the 11th consecutive game Patrick, Langarita and Faye miss together, though Patrick and Faye have been away from action for much longer.

Langarita's one and only appearance with the Utes since joining the program in late December saw the 6-foot-5 Spanish guard put up three points and log 5 minutes in Utah's 89-84 loss to BYU on Jan. 10.

Patrick, who last played Dec. 6 against Cal Baptist, was ruled out once again due to injury. The 6-foot-6 guard was Utah's best shooter early on in the season, as he knocked down 46.5% of his attempts from behind the arc while averaging 7.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10 games before missing the next 15 due to injury.

Faye hasn't suited up for the Runnin' Utes after being ruled out for the season due to a leg injury in September. It's unclear whether the fifth-year forward will receive a medical redshirt from the NCAA for the 2026-27 season.

Here's a full look at the availability report for Saturday's game (7 p.m. MT, ESPN+).

Utah Availability Report

Out

• F Babacar Faye
• G Jacob Patrick
• G Lucas Langarita

UCF Availability Report

Out

• G Tanner Jones

Questionable

• G Riley Kugel
• G Carmelo Pacheco

Probable

• F Jamichael Stillwell